The term “Black Wall Street” is associated with the thriving residential and commercial community that was destroyed in the Tulsa, Okla., massacre 101 years ago.
But there were similar areas of prosperity in black communities across the United States, including Richmond’s Jackson Ward.
Building on that legacy to create success for black-owned businesses today, the Jackson Ward Collection will hold the BLCK Street Conference in Richmond on Monday, August 8, in partnership with the VA.
Networking sessions during the day and evening following the conference are designed for attendees to learn more about their respective organizations.
“[In the past,] “Black Wall Street was important in Jackson Ward because we have to be self-sufficient,” said Melody Short, founder of the Jackson Ward Collective. “We want to inspire people with past success, but we also want to inspire them with what’s happening here now.”
Depending on the level of development for the business in attendance, the conference has three different tracks to explore: Learn, Grow and Own. The Learn Track caters to aspiring entrepreneurs, such as someone with a side hustle. The growth track is for people who have been in business for a few years and need resources to expand. And its own track is for entrepreneurs who want to scale up or downsize their business.
Conference workshops will cover topics ranging from technology to how to get capital for your company.
The event’s keynote speakers will be Julien and Kiersten Sanders, the couple behind the Rich and Regular brands.
Co-authors of the book Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away, the power couple built their brand from sharing their own financial woes. Those problems began when the two fell apart as a couple over money.
Conference attendees can expect to hear the couple’s story of using a new strategy to build wealth, from thinking about debt and scarcity to reaching a savings goal of over a million dollars.
“They’ll hear financial secrets about how to easily build wealth; how to improve their relationship with their partner and talk about money,” Mr. Sanders said. “They’ll learn how to reconcile uncomfortable truths about fighting racism and finances at the same time.”
The couple is on a book tour, and as they do in every city they visit, they’re contributing to the fight against food insecurity here in Richmond.
“People are coming from California, Atlanta, Tennessee, Maryland and DC,” Ms. Short said.
Although the conference is sold out, interested business owners can visit the organization’s website at jacksonwardcollective.com to be added to the waiting list.
